The Weblog of Erik J. Barzeski

MobileTracker has a little ditty on the possible Boston Mobile Phone Ban. It was my understanding that you could only be punished in NYC if your phone rang. Am I misunderstanding the NYC law?
I fully support giving fines to people with ringing phones in "public entertainment venues." They're disruptive and annoying. Unlike the first example at MobileTracker, "coughing," cell phone ringing can be prevented. It's not a health issue, and it doesn't happen to everyone (as is getting a cold). And unlike the second example, "unwrapping throat lozenges," cell phone ringing is not done for the betterment of oneself or others. Sucking a lozenge helps prevent more interruptions due to "coughing."

Guess what? I bet that every cell phone sold within the past, oh… five years has a "vibration" mode. Turn your phone to vibrate and you interrupt only yourself. The phone vibrates, you look at the caller ID, and you decide whether to go outside and return the call. Simple.

If, however, I've misunderstood the ban and it is on possessing a cell phone at all, and not just possessing a cell phone that rings, then I'm against the law as being one which is impractical and outright stupid for reasons quite obvious to anyone with at least half their wits about them.

Cell phone bans are un-American. People should be free to carry their cell phones everywhere and talk on them while driving. If other people don't like the ring tones, so the hell what? That's not my problem. I don't live my life to please everyone else. If I like the ring tone I don't care what they think.